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m. 12,701. I vPnmwrm: A R. 10,1855;

1 ADJUSTABLE FRICTION ROLLER.

\ 1 11 JoHtiswEnNErwAuD rHo As SWEENEY, or BIRMINGHAM, PENNsYLvANI A.

. e j jBeit known thatwe, JoHlt e THoMAsfSwnnnn-rfof Birmingham, in the; ,county ofAllegheny, State of Pennsylvania,

t ADJUSTABLE FRICTION-ROLLER.

Specification of j LettersPatent No. 12,701, dated April 10, 1855.

To all whom it mag/concern SWEENEY and i have invented new and useful Improveorient? the Construction of-Antifriction Journal-Boxes and we do hereby declare 1 that; Ithefollowing ifsfa full and exactde- 1 scriptionthereof, reference being had to the specification, in whichannexed drawi gs, forming part of this j ure 1, 1s a perspective view of our journal box, a portionr(shown in Flg. 7)

being removed to exhibitfthe position of the moved from thebox,withone conductor refmoved, Fig. 3jrepresents the conductors,'A

showing. the outer, and B .the inner side with the sliding journal boxes andsprings in place. Fig. 4 is one of the sliding journal boxes. Figx5 is aplanview of a conductor i showingthe sliding journal boxes in place,

andby vdotted lines the positionof the rolls.

a Fig. 6 representsone of thesprings.

j fer toj;similar parts of our journal box.

The same letters. in the several figures re- Our invention consists in attachingthe antifriction rollers to their conductors, by

causing the journals of. the rollers to work i .in sliding boxes, which are continually pressed toward the journalxofthe shaft working betweengthe rollers, by means of springs, thus causingall the frict on rollers to pressagainstthe journal of the shaft, andpinsuring their, allqrevolving on their own axis, as well asaround'the journal of ptheshafta i i Frictionrollers oftthe ordinary construction, while they were found to possess great advantages, having scarcely any 1 sensible friction when in motion, soonfel'l into disuse, owing to their greatfliabfllty to get out of order, chiefly from their wearmgjmore on.

one side than the other, and ifthe rollers stood still for a moment, the journal would wear a flat placeon the two roller's beneath it, and they would never wear round again.

Of course where thisieifect tookplace they soon became loose and presented a. greater degree of resistance to the journal than *the common box. These obstacles can .be overcome by any method which will insure the continual rotation of the friction rollers around the journal at thesame time that 1 they revolve on their own axis; but the-difl'i culty has beenthat the use ,of cog wheels,

= endless chainsand similar contrivances. for

thatpurpose are very liable to break or otherwise get out of working. order.

-. In thedrawings a, is a plate of brass or iron which isbolted to the frame which supports the shaft, the journal of which is to work in the journal box. Attached to, this plate is thejournal box I), being a hollow cylinder, the inner surface of which is turned perfectly true. Both ends of this cylinder are closed by a; plate of metal 0 0 4 with a circular hole in the center to allow of the admission of the journal. These end plates 0,0, are attached to the cylindrical box by small screws. The upper half of the cylindrical box is represented in Fig. 1, as removed jto exhibitthe position and construction of the rollers, &c. Inside this box 6, is theframe which carries the. friction rollers, shown in perspective with one of the conductors removed in Fig. 2. This frame i is composed of two conductors (Z, (Z, see Fig.

3, connected together. by pins 6, e, &c.,which are placed near the circumference ofthe conductors and between the rollers so as not" to come in contact with them. On the'inner face of each conductor areflanges, 70 70 projecting from its surface, and forming guidesv or ways radiating from the center of the conductors, to receive the sliding journal boxes f, f, &c. The inner sides of each of these guides are placed exactly parallel, and are planed perfectly smooth so as to allow the journal boxes f, f, to slide with thele'ast possible friction.- The sliding journal boxes f, f, are of the shape shown in Fig. 4:- Each sliding journal boxhas a circular hole deslgned to receive the ournalsor axes of the rollers g, g, &c., each roller having a sliding j ournal box. at eachzend, which works in the guides formed'by theflanges in the conductors as before described. In one end of each sliding journal box is a notch or groove n (seeFig. 4), which is placed outward toward the circumference of the conductors. grooves are designedto receivethe extremities of the springs 71,, h, &c., which pressing center of the conductors, press the sliding journal boxes and with them the rollers which they carry, toward a common center.

The springs 11-, h, are of the shape shown in Flg, 6, being constructed of wire twisted in the center around the pins which respectively support them: each spring being kept These inward from thecircumference toward the 5 in its place passing around its pin in a groove in the pin close to the inner face of the conductor. There are two. springs to each pin, one ateach end and each extremity of every spring rests on the outer end of one of the sliding journal boxes, so that-each sliding journal box is acted on by two springs, and each roller, having two sliding journal boxes is pressed up toward the journal of the shaft by four springs; this arrangement equalizes the action of the springs and the consequent pressure of the rollers. The hole in the center of the side plates of the journal box I), as well as the hole in the center of the conductors d, is larger than the diameter of the journal of the shaft 2' (Fig. 1) which is designed to work in it, so that there may be no cont-act or friction of the journal 2', against the sides of the box I), or conductors d. The rollers g, g, are of such diameter as to project within the line of the circumference of the center hole in the conductors, and to project beyond their circumference see Fig. 5. The conductors are smaller in diameter than the inside of the journal box 6, so that when the rollers are forced out by the insertion of the journal of the shaft 2', the circumference of the conductors 0?, cl, does not come in contact with the inner surface of the journal box I), but the journal 71, is so adjusted to the size of the rollers that when in place it forces them out so as that each roller is in contact not only with the surface of the journal 2', but also with the inner surface of the journal box I). Lest there should be any friction between the outer face of the conductors and the inner surface of the side plates 0, 0, two flanges or wires 0, 0, project from the inner surface of the upper section of the box (see Fig. 7) parallel to the sides of the box, and far enough apart to allow the rollers to work between them. As the rollers in running round with their frame in the inside of the box, are continually in contact with the inner surface of the box b, the flanges 0, 0, however slightly they project will prevent the roller frame from sliding to either side and prevent its contact wit-h the side pieces 0, 0. As the journal of the shaft 2', turns around between the rollers it will cause them all to revolve as they are all, by the force of the springs, pressed up against it, and as the rollers also are-in contact with the inner surface of the box b, they w1ll 1n revolving, instead of rubbing against the box, slowly pass around the journal z, as their center, with their frame, which connects them together. That there may be no rubblng br sliding, but that they may pass around in the box 6, with a rolling contact, it is desirable that these rollers should be all of the same exact diameter; and in order that if they should wear at all, as they may do, by degrees, the attrition should be uniform, so as not to impair their perfect-1y cylindrical form, it is desirable that the rollers should all be made of metal of the same degree of hardness. If the inner surface of the box I), should also wear away in any degree, this will not impair the successful operation of our rollers, because as at all times two or more of the rollers must necessarily be pressed against the inner surface of the box, the roller frame will continue to revolve, and as the rollers themselves are all, by their springs pressed against the journal shaft 2', they will always when the journal 2', is in motion, be revolving on their own axis, they cannot wear more at one point than another, and will have no tendency to wear fiat.

The number of rollers which we use is five, but a greater or less number may be used as occasion may require.

Having thus described our improved antifriction journal box, what we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The use of sliding boxes to carry the j ournals of the friction rollers in combination with the springs for the purpose of pressing them all continually against the surface of the journals or gudgeon of the shaft which works in the rollers, so as to make them all revolve as the journal revolves not only on their own axes but around the journal in the manner hereinbefore described.

JOHN SWVEENEY. THOMAS SWEENEY. lVit-nesses WM. N. HOWARD, B. B. CAMPBELL. 

